Fist Bumps for Flu Season | Beaumont Health System

Beaumont Health System is a three-hospital regional health system with 1,778 licensed beds, more than 20, 200 employees and 3,100 physicians. In addition to its hospitals in Royal Oak, Troy and Grosse Pointe, Beaumont has 54 community-based sites of care.

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Fist bumps aren’t just for baseball players and presidents. Compared with handshakes, fist bumps reduce the transmission of germs by about 400% – which is especially important during flu season. To help, Beaumont created Fist Bumps for Flu Season! Even though flu season is nearing its end, reducing the amount of germs spread is helpful any time of the year.

Research published by The Journal of Hospital Infection looked at how healthcare professionals could help prevent the spread of germs and still remain personable and social in settings where handshakes were appropriate:

“We surmise that the fist bump is an effective alternative to the handshake in the hospital setting,” the study reads. “[Bumping] may lead to decreased transmission of bacteria and improved health and safety of patients and healthcare workers alike.”

With the help of Dr. Matthew Sims, Beaumont’s Director of Infectious Disease Research, we created a series of videos to help teach some basic bumps, along with more advanced fist bump techniques to help reduce the spread of the flu as this flu season winds down. Enjoy!

THE JELLYFISH

The crowd-pleasing Jellyfish is one of the more visually stunning fist bumps ever devised. Extend the fist and, on contact, begin the majestic journey of the jellyfish by opening and closing your hand and propelling backward. One warning: be careful not to get stung by the tentacles!

THE ROCKET

Originally designed by top NASA fist bump scientists, The Rocket helps reduce the transmission of germs and honors astronauts past and present. Extend closed fists and, on contact and like a well-planned launch mission, have one bumper simulate the rocket and the other the propulsion system. Please, DO try this one at home. As with the explosion, sound effects are highly encouraged by both parties.